Strengthening GCC’s Ability To Counter Iran Should Top President Biden’s Agenda In Jeddah

Israeli Participation In Integrated Aerial Defense Would Serve Regional And U.S. Interests 

(New York, N.Y.) — Tomorrow, President Joe Biden will visit Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz to meet with leaders from throughout the region and participate in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit. The GCC’s approach to protecting its members from the Iranian threat is quickly evolving. According to press reports, GCC members are moving closer to adopting a regional air defense network integrated with Israel. Iran warned that any efforts by the U.S. and Israel to join alliances with Arab states would increase tensions.

To read United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI)’s resource Iran and the Gulf Cooperation Council, please click here.

In the U.S., lawmakers in Washington recognize the GCC’s critical role in restoring the regional order and pushing back against Iran’s destabilizing aggression. In June, bipartisan bicameral legislation was introduced that would direct the Department of Defense to assist with the GCC’s integration with Israel to counter the threat of cruise and ballistic missiles, manned and unmanned aerial systems, and rocket attacks from Iran, its terrorist proxies, and militias. The entire region, including U.S. personnel, continues to be threatened by Iranian weaponry.  

In strengthening U.S. ties with Saudi Arabia and other members of the GCC, the partnership can serve as an essential pillar of a successful Mideast policy that reverses the growing chaos and instability that have afflicted the region in recent years, without the large-scale commitment of U.S. forces. The path to doing so is pursuing a more comprehensive strategy of countering Iran in the region and looking beyond the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).  

At the GCC Summit, President Biden should seek to help members overcome distrust of Israel within the GCC and encourage members to cultivate closer ties with Jerusalem. The potential formation of a Middle East Air Defense (MEAD) partnership, synchronizing early warning and radar systems, detectors, and interceptors to thwart Iran’s drones and missiles, would greatly contribute to the formation of a durable regional security architecture to counter the Iranian threat. Interoperability across U.S. allies and partners would ameliorate the weaknesses in the patchwork of bilateral arrangements between each GCC state and the United States.

To read UANI’s resource Ballistic Missile Program, please click here. 

To read UANI’s resource The Iranian Drone Threat, please click here. 

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